Fluid-pressure regulator.



A. KITTS, JR.

FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.11, 1910.

71,007,451 Patented 0013.31, 1911.

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TED STATES PATENT orrion.

WILLARD A. KIT'IS, JR., OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 KITTSMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FLUID-PRESSURE REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 1910.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. Serial No. 586,538.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TVILLARD A. KITTS, J r., of Oswego, in the county ofOswego, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Fluid-Pressure Regulators, of which the following, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, andexact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in fluid pressureregulators for the purpose of automatically maintaining a substantiallyuniform pressure or partial vacuum as produced by a fluid pressure orvacuum producing apparatus.

The main object isto obtain a sufiiciently large pressure area for thepurpose within a comparatively small radius by employing a multiplicityof diaphragm chambers connected for serial operation whereby theslightest variation in pressure or partial vacuum on the diaphragmsabove or below a determined degree, will instantly operate a controllerfor the motive power to regulate the speed of the motor and therebyreestablish such predetermined pressure or partial vacuum.

Another object is to enable the same system of diaphragms to be used tocontrol the speed of any motor or motor driven device.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the regulator willbe brought out in the following description:

The drawing is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved regulator asapplied more particularly to the throttle vali e of engine drivenpressure and vacuum producing apparatus showing also contact terminalsof an electric circuit operated by the same system of diaphragms tocontrol an electric motor or any suitable valve operating translatingdevice or devices.

The main feature of the invention consists in providing a series ofsimilar lentioular chambers -1 secured together end to end in coaxialrelation and containing separate diaphragms 2.

Each diaphragm chamber preferably comprises opposite concavo convexmetal sec tions or disks 3 and 4- preferably of circular form securedtogether end to end by clamping bolts 5 with their concave sides facingeach other.

The diaphragm 2- of each chamber preferably consists of one or morecircular disks 6 of flexible material such as rubber, dividing thechambers into opposite compartments and having its marginal edges clampbetween the meeting edges of the sections 3 and 4 by means of the bolts5, said diaphragm being re-inforced by thin metal disks 7 applied toopposite sides of central portion thereof.

The meeting ends of diaphragm chambers 1 are secured together byclamping bolts 8 which hold them in fixed relation to each other. Theentire system of chambers are also held in fixed position by securingone of its end chambers as the upper section 4 to the fixed support 10-by means of clamping screws l1 placed in substantially the same positionas these screws 8 so that one or more chambers may be readily added toor taken from the ends of the system without disconnecting any of theothers.

The sections 3 and 4 of the diaphragm chambers are provided with centralopenings 12, that in the uppermost section being closed by the head l0while the opening in the lowermost section is covered by a cap or plate13 having a pipe 14: communicating with the lowermost compartment for apurpose hereinafter described.

Direct communication between adjacent compartments of contiguous sidesof the diaphragm chambers is cut off by a comparatively small, butflexible diaphragms 15 having their marginal edges secured between saidcontiguous sides by the screws 8 and their central portions extendingacross the corresponding openings -12. These diaphragms 2 and 15- arecentrally connected for simultaneous action in the manner previouslydescribed, the diaphragms .15 being of considerably less area than thediaphragms 2 and serve mainly to cut off communication between adjacentcompartments and at the same time to allow for the joint action of thelarger diaphragms. The central portions of these diaphragms are spaced afixed distance apart by intervening spacing sleeves or rings 16 havingvertically alined openings through which is passed a hollow connectingrod or tube 17. The upper end of this rod or tube is enlarged forming anannular shoulder 18 engaging the upper face of the upper diaphragm 2,the lower end of said rod or tube being threaded and engaged by a nut-19- which also engages the under side of the lowermost diaphragm sothat, when the nut 19 is tightened, the central portions of thediaphragm c and 15 are effectively clamped between the spacing rings orsleeves -16- to cause all the diaphragms to move in unison.

The connecting rod -17- is provided with the central lengthwise opening20- open at the bottom and communicating with the lowermost compartmentand therefore with the pipe -14. This tubular rod is also provided withbranch passages -21- communicating with the lower compartments ofcorresponding diaphragm chambers through suitable passages 22 inadjacent spacing rings 16-. It is now apparent that any fluid pressureor partial vacuum, which may be maintained or produced in the pipe 1lwill be also maintained or produced to the same extent or degree in thelower compartments of all of the diaphragm chambers thereby exerting acorresponding lifting or depressing power as the case may be, upon allof the diaphragms -2, it being understood, that the upper compartmentsof all the diaphragm chambers are provided with openings as 23- leadingto the atmosphere for permitting the free exit and entrance of air fromand to said compartments to remove as far as practicable air resistanceto the free action of the larger diaphragm.

The movement of the connecting rod -17- as actuated by the diaphragm 2-is utilized to control the motive power for the fluid pressure or vacuumproducing device, not shown, but by which the diaphragms are actuated.

In the present instance, I have shown the throttle of an ordinary steamengine as provided with normally open valves 25 coacting with theirrespective valve seats and adapted to be closed by upward pressure onthe diaphragms through the medium of the connecting rod 17 and a valvestem -26- which connects said valves to the upper end of the rod -17.

The valves 25 are normally held in their open position by a coil spring27- the tension of which may be regulated by an adjusting screw -2S, sothat the predetermined pressure on the under side of the diaphragm *2-is required to close the valves, although in some instances, the valves25- may open by their own gravity, in which case, they will be of courseclosed by a corresponding light pressure on the diaphragm 2.

The fluid pressure or vacuum producing device together with the motorfor actuating the same, are purposely omitted because the system ofdiaphragm chambers forming the subject of this invention is clearlyapplicable to either of such devices or their actuating motors, but itis understood that the pipe 1 lis to be connected to the fluid pressureor vacuum producing apparatus according to which is used and that themovement of the diaphragms caused by such pressure or partial vacuum isemployed to regulate the supply of motive fluid to the motor or to theoperation of any auxiliary controlling means whereby the speed of themotor may be automatically regulated.

Vhen the regulator is used in connection with a vacuum producing deviceoperated by a steam engine,the valve stem --26* may be provided with aset of additional normally open valves -29 which meet with suitableseats to close on downward movement of diaphragm -2 and valve stem 26.

In some instances the fluid pressure device may be operated by anelectric motor not shown, but controlled by a normally closed electricswitch -30-, adapted to be opened by the upward movement of thediaphragms as for example-through the medium of a coupling -3l betweenthe connecting rod 17 and valve stem -26- or if the vacuum producingdevice is used, the same switch may be opened by a suitable shoulder onthe coupling 31 as the diaphragms are depressed. The diaphragms 2 arealso held in or returned to their normal positions by weighted levers3et, which are connected to the coupling -31 and provided withadjustable weights 35-. In the present instance, the weighted levers areused to exert an upward lift of the diaphragms. But it is evident, thatthese weights may be used at the inner ends of the levers for depressingthe diaphragms when the device is used in connection with a vacuumproducing apparatus but I do not limit myself to the use of weights norto springs for the balancing of the diaphragm nor returning them to acertain position under a predetermined pressure or partial vacuum.

In operation, assuming that the pipe -14E is connected to a fluidpressure producing device driven by a steam engine having the throttlevalves -25, which are normally open, then the fluid under pressure willenter the lower compartment of each diaphragm chamber thereby exertingan uplift on each diaphragm and connecting rod 17 until the tension ofthe spring tending to hold said valves open is overcome whereupon theincreased pressure upon the under side of the diaphragm will close thevalves 25 thereby cutting off the motive power to the engine which willreduce the speed of the engine and resultant pressure of the pressuredevice and allow the diaphragms and valves to resume their initialposition.

What I claim is A fluid pressure regulator comprising a valvularelement, a vertically movable member connected with said element forshifting it and provided with a longitudinally-extending passage andfurther having radially disposed ports opening into said passage, aseries of superposed casings axially mounted upon said member and eachprovided with a diaphragm dividing each respective casing into twocompartments, said casing provided with means whereby the compartmentsat one side of the diaphragms will communicate with the atmosphere, saidports and passages establishing communication between the compartmentsat the other side of the diaphragms, means for supplying fluid pressureto that compartment of the lower casing out of communication of theatmosphere, said passage opening into the last mentioned compartment,and spacing means for the diaphragms, said spacing means carried by saidmember and provided with openings alining with the parts of said member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of Sept.1910.

WILLARD A. KITTS, JR.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, E. T. SPEAKING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

